A groundbreaking achievement by researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst has unveiled a revolutionary approach to generating uninterrupted electricity from atmospheric humidity. Known as the "generic Air-gen effect," this method, according to SciTech Daily, harnesses the potential of any material featuring nanopores smaller than 100 nanometers.
The breakthrough holds promise for the widespread adoption of a scalable and uninterrupted electricity generation system, providing an economically viable alternative to condition-dependent renewable sources, such as solar and wind power. This pioneering development opens up new avenues for the continuous and cost-effective production of electricity using diverse materials.
Harnessing Electricity Using Nanofilms Made From Bacteria
As per the news release, UMass scientists are delving deeper into the concept of harnessing electrical currents from our surroundings using a material derived from living organisms.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst recently announced a breakthrough in electrical engineering led by Jun Yao and his team. Their study, titled "Generic Air‐Gen Effect in Nanoporous Materials for Sustainable Energy Harvesting from Air Humidity" published in the journal Advanced Materials, introduces the "Air-gen effect."
The research team had built upon their previous research to conduct their latest study, which has a core principle that involves cultivating conductive nanofilms using bacteria that can extract small amounts of electricity from water vapor present in the air.
Yao highlighted the immense electrical potential present in the air, comparing it to clouds that contain charged water droplets. While lightning bolts are generated by these charges, reliably capturing electricity from lightning remains a challenge.
The team's innovation lies in creating a man-made miniature cloud that consistently and predictably generates electricity, enabling its efficient extraction for practical use.
READ ALSO : Bacteria Responsible for Tuberculosis Can Turn Air Into Electricity to Power Small Portable Devices
Harnessing Electricity From the Air Using Any Material
The material's initial discovery in 2020, based on its bacterial composition, was celebrated as a fascinating development in green energy technology. Futurism reported that Yao and his team have since expanded their exploration of the concept, leading them to realize that it has broader applicability than previously thought.
Yao explained that the ability to generate electricity from the air, which was initially observed with Geobacter, is actually a generic phenomenon. It turns out that any material possessing a specific characteristic can harvest electricity from the air.
This crucial characteristic, referred to as the "mean free path," pertains to the distance between molecules. For water molecules suspended in the air, this distance measures around 100 nanometers, which is an extremely small fraction of the width of a human hair.
According to Yao's team, as long as the material possesses these minuscule perforations, its specific composition becomes less relevant. While the team currently focuses on generating small amounts of electricity for wearable devices, this discovery opens up exciting possibilities for consumer technology. The real question that lies ahead is how far-reaching this phenomenon can be scaled.
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